Mop and mop head assembly for holding yarn strands on a bell end handle



Nov. 22, 1955 w. A. BALLINGER 2,724,138

MOP AND MOP HEAD ASSEMBLY FOR HOLDING YARN STRANDS ON A BELL END HANDLE Filed Dec. 8, 1951 INVENTOR. WALLACE A. BALL/N65 ATTORNEY United States Patent Ciiice 2,724,138 Patented Nov. 22, 1955 MOP AND MOP HEAD ASSEMBLY FOR HOLDING YARN STRANDS ON A BELL END HANDLE This invention relates to an improved roofers mop and to an improved mop head therefor.

Roofers mops made from glass-fiber yarns have several advantages over mops made from cotton yarn, including a longer useful life. However, certain problems have arisen from their use. For one thing, glass-fiber yarns tend to be slippery, and when the mop head has been used to spread asphalt on a roof, the added weight of the asphalt and the friction of the mop head on the roof have tended to pull strands out of the mop head. After a. few strands had been pulled out, the remainder of the glass-fiber yarn was so loosely held in the mop head that they pulled out easily, and a new head had to be put on the mop handle. 1

Another problem has been that glass-fiber yarn is much more brittle than cotton yarn, so that the strands have been broken or cut in two at the point where the bell or handle was fastened down against the mop head.

The present invention has solved these problems by providing a novel assembly for holding the mop head together and for securing it to the handle. The assembly includes a wire cage that supports a pair of plates or washers between which the mid points of the yarn strands are secured. A central bolt passes upwardly through the plates and makes it possible to tighten the upper plate down toward the lower one, so as to grip the strands very tightly. A collapsible sleeve surrounds thebolt between the plates and prevents the strands from getting A fabric protective disc 1 end of the mop handle, thereby safeguarding the strands from chafing by the edge of the bell.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description given in accordance with U. S. Code, Title 35, Section 112. The description or illustrations of details is not, however, intended to limit the invention narrowly to mere details. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims. t

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a roofers mop embodying the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation and. in section through the portion ofthe mop of Fig. l where the mop head is attached to the mop handle. The upper portion of the mop handle and the lower portion of the mop head have been omitted to conserve space. b

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing the assembly which holds the mop head together.

Themop 10 shown in Fig. 1 comprises, a handle 11 and amop head 12preferab1y made from glass-fiber yarn. The assembly 13 shown in Fig. 3ho1ds together the many strands which comprise the mophead 12 and is attached to a bell 14 on the lower end of the handle 11.

The assembly 13 includes two stiff wire members 15 and 16 crossing each other perpendicularly: and welded together at their mid point 17. The wires 15, 16 are each bent into what is substantially a U-shape with substantially horizontal portions 18 and 119 and upwardly projecting legs 20, 21, and 22, 23, which provide a gripping area or caged area 24.

The bolt 25 which secures the assemled head 12 to the bell 14 fits inside the caged gripping area 24 with its head 26 resting at about the cross point 17. Directly above and against the bolt head 26 lies a lower plate or washer 30, having a central opening 31, through which the bolt 25 passes, and openings 32 near its periphery through which the legs 20, 21, 22, 23 pass. An upper plate or washer 35 similarly perforated, is spaced away about two inches from the lower washer 30, the bolt 25 passing through its central opening 36, and the wire legs 20, 21, 22, 23 passing through openings 37 located near the periphery of the washer 35.

The strands 40 of the mop are held between these two plates or washers 30, 35. A nut 38, threaded over the upper end of the bolt 25, rests against the upper plate or washer 35 and forcesit down toward the lower washer 30, thereby tightening the mop-head-holding assembly 13 about the mop strands 40.

Preferably, a tube 41 of flexible plastic surrounds the bolt 25 in between the two washers 30, 35. The tube 41, which may be approximately two inches long, serves to keep the glass-fiber yarn 40 out of the threads of the bolt 25 when the nut is screwed down. Preferably, the tube 41 is made from a crushable plastic such as vinylite, so that it collapses and is crushed down as the nut 38 is tightened on the bolt 25 and the upper washer 35 is forced down toward the lower washer 30.

In order to prevent the metal washer 35 and the metal bell 14 from cutting and breaking the strands 40, a protective disc 45 may be placed just beneath the washer 35, over the upper surface of the mop-head strands 40.

The disc 45 extends out beyond the rim of the bell 14 and is interposed between the metal bell 14 and the glassfiber strands 40, so that the strands are buffered from the cutting or breaking action of the metal edge. The disc 45 may be made from some suitable fabric, such as osnaburg. It may also be treated with a water-proof tar so that it grips the bell 14 and prevents it from slipping or turning.

In putting together the mop head 12, the strands 40 of yarn are layed in the cage 24 with their mid portions over the lower washer 30, the bight of each individual strand embracing at least one of the upstanding legs 20,

21, 22, 23, and preferably two of them. The disc 45 and the upper washer 35 are then lowered down over the strands 40, and the nut 38 is put on and tightened, forcing the washer 35 down so that it holds the strands 40 tightly. The tube 41 is crushed down by this action but continues to keep the strands 40 out of the bolt threads. When the nut 38 is fully tight, the projecting ends of the wire leg portions 20, 21, 22, 23 may be bent over and laid flush on the upper surface of the plate 35.

A third wire 55 may then be passed through the loops of the wires 15 and 16 below the lower washer 3t and above the horizontal portions 18, 19. The wire 55 may then be tied around the head 12 forming a tightly held portion 56 at the upper end of the mop-head 12 from which the strands hang down.

The bolt 25 may then be threaded into a collar 57, which is inside the bell 14, or it may be attached to the handle in some other manner. The handle 11 may be turned so that the bell 14 is tightened down over the mop head 12, until the bell 14 comes to rest over the osnaburg disc 45, which prevents the bell from damaging the strands 40.

I claim:

1. A mop head, including-in combination, a pair of spaced-apart, substantially flat plates, each having a central opening therethrough; a bolt passing through the openings of both said plates having a head abutting against the outside of one plate; a nut threaded on said bolt and abutting against the outside of the other plate; caging means adjacent the periphery of said plates, said caging means comprising a plurality of stiff wires passing through openings in said plates, said openings lying near said periphery, said wires being brought taut on the outer sides of said plates; and strands of yarn, each strand passing between said plates and entering across the periphery from one side of said caging means and passing out across the periphery on the opposite side and held tightly by said plates.

2. A mop head, including in combination, a pair of spaced-apart, substantially fiat plates, each having a central opening therethrough, a bolt passing through the openings of both said plates having a head abutting against the outside of one plate, a nut threaded on said bolt and abutting against the outside of the other plate, caging means adjacent the periphery of said plates, strands of yarn, each strand passing between said plates and entering across the periphery from one side of said caging means and passing out across the periphery on the opposite side and held tightly by said plates, and a tube of crushable material surrounding the portion of said bolt lying between said plates so as to keep the yarn out of the bolt threads when the nut is tightened and said plates are compressed toward each other.

3. A mop head, including in combination, a pair of spaced-apart, substantially flat plates, each having a central opening therethrough, a bolt passing through the openings of both said plates having a head abutting against the outside of one plate, a nut threaded on said bolt and abutting against the outside of the other plate, caging means adjacent the periphery of said plates, strands of yarn, each strand passing between said plates and entering across the periphery from one side of said caging means and passing out across the periphery on the opposite side and held tightly bysaid plates, and a protective non-metallic disc between, the strands and the plate against which the nut abuts, said disc extending radially outwardly therefrom, whereby said'mop head is adapted for use with a mop handle of the type having a hell on its lower end.

4. A mop, including in combination, a pair of spacedapart substantially flat, round plates having a central opening therethrough, caging means adjacent the periphery of said plates, a bolt passing upwardly through the openings of both said plates, a nut threaded on said bolt for tightening said plates together, strands of yarn passing within said caging means, substantially diametrically across said plates and between said plates and held tightly thereby, and a mop handle in which the upper end of said bolt is threaded.

5. A mop, including in combination, a pair of substantially-flat, round plates having a central opening therethrough; caging means adjacent the periphery of said plates; a bolt passing upwardly through the openings of both said plates; a nut threaded on said bolt for tightening said plates together; strands of yarn passing within said caging means substantially diametrically across said plates and between said plates and held tightly thereby; a mop handle in which the upper end of said bolt is threaded; a bell on the lower end of said mop handle; and a protec tive, non-metallic disc between the strands and the plate against which the nut abuts, said disc extending radially outwardly beyond the periphery of said bell and protecting said strands from said bell when said handle is tightened into place.

6. The mop of claim 5 in which said disc is made from strong fabric coated with a tar.

7. A mop-head comprising a plurality of stifl? Wires secured together and having upwardly extending legs providing a caged area; a bolt with its head adjacent and above the place where said wires are secured together and extending upwardly therefrom; a pair of plates, a lower one adjacent the head of said bolt and an upper one spaced upwardly therefrom, said plates each having a central opening therethrough through which said bolt extends, said plates also each having openings spaced around and adjacent the periphery to receive said upwardly extending legs, the ends of said legs being turned over onto said upper plate; a nut threaded on said bolt above said upper plate, so as to compress said upper plate toward said lower plate; and a plurality of mop yarn strands passing through said caged area between said plates and compressed therebetween.

8. A mop-head comprising two stifi wires crossing each other perpendicularly and secured together at about their midpoints and bent on each side thereof to provide upwardly extending legs providing a caged area; a bolt with its head adjacent and above the place where said wires cross and extending upwardly therefrom; a pair of Washers, one being located adjacent the head of said bolt and the other spaced upwardly therefrom, said washers each having a central opening therethrough through which said bolt extends, said washers also each having four openings spaced around and adjacent the periphery to receive said upwardly extending legs, the ends of said legs being turned over onto said upper washer; a collapsible plastic tube around said bolt between said washers; a nut threaded on said bolt above the upper said washer and compressing said upper Washer toward the lower said washer; a plurality of mop yarn strands passing through said caged area between said washers and compressed therebetween; and a fabric disc between said strands and said upper washer and extending radially outwardly therearound.

9. A mop-head holding assembly comprising a plurality of stiff wires secured together and having upwardly extending legs providing a caged area; a bolt with its head adjacent and above the place where said wires are secured together and extending upwardly therefrom; a pair of plates, spaced apart from each other, a lower one adjacent the head of said bolt and an upper one spaced upwardly therefrom, said plates each having a central opening therethrough through which said bolt extends, said plates also each having openings spaced around and adjacent the periphery to receive said upwardly extending legs, the ends of said legs being turned over onto said upper plate; a nut threaded on said bolt above said upper plate and forcing said upper plate down toward said lower plate; and a plurality of mop yarn strands passing through said caged area between said plates and compressed therebetween.

10. A mop comprising a handle; a bell at the lower end thereof having an interiorly threaded member therein; and a mop head, said head including two stifi wires crossing each other perpendicularly and secured together at about their midpoints and bent on each side thereof to provide upwardly extending legs providing a caged area, a bolt with its head adjacent and above the place where said wires cross and extending upwardly therefrom, a lower washer adjacent the head of said bolt, an upper .washer spaced upwardly therefrom, said washers each having a central opening therethrough through which said bolt extends, said washers also each having four openings spaced around and adjacent the periphery to receive said upwardly extending legs, the ends of said legs being turned over onto said upper washer, a collapsible plastic tube around said bolt between said. washers, a nut threaded on said bolt above said upper washer for urging said upper washer toward said lower washer, a plurality of'mop yarn strands passing through said caged area between said washers and compressed therebetween, and a fabric disc between said strands and said upper washer and extending outwardly therearound beyond the periphey of said bell and interposed between said strands and said bell.

11 A replaceable mop unit of the type employing a plurality of: individual strands of. string-like material doubled approximately midway between the ends of said strands, and a strand-gripping member secured to said midway point of said strands, said gripping member including a plurality of washer plates, an upper plate and a lower plate, between which the strands extend across substantially diametrically at their midpoints, each plate having a central opening and a plurality of openings spaced adjacent its periphery, each said opening of one plate being aligned with corresponding openings of the other plate, wire members extending between said peripheral aligned openings, a bolt extending between said central openings and projecting beyond the upper of said plates; and a nut on said bolt securing said plates together.

12. A mop head, including in combination, a pair of spaced-apart, substantially flat plates, each having a central opening therethrough, a bolt passing through the openings of both said plates having a head abutting against the outside of one plate, a nut threaded on said bolt and abutting against the outside of the other plate, caging means adjacent the periphery of said plates, strands of yarn, each strand passing between said plates and entering across the periphery from one side of said caging means and passing out across the periphery on the opposite side and held tightly by said plates, and a disc of strong fabric,

coated with a tar, interposed between the strands and the plate against which the nut abuts, said disc extending radially outwardly therefrom, whereby said mop head is protected by said disc from chafing when used with a mop handle of the type having a bell on its lower end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 957,025 Zachry May 3, 1910 1,092,770 Humphries Apr. 7, 1914 1,115,442 Lamb Oct. 27, 1914 1,182,844 Harr May 9, 1916 1,333,741 Thomas Mar. 16, 1920 1,479,109 Rudolph Jan. 1, 1924 1,479,906 Fisher Jan. 8, 1924 1,737,366 Ewing Nov. 26, 1929 2,233,289 Hatzenbuehler Feb. 25, 1941 2,489,158 Rodgers Nov. 22, 1949 2,700,170 Olsen Jan. 25, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,920 Great Britain Mar. 21, 1895 836 Great Britain Jan. 11, 1902 609,948 France Aug. 26, 1926 

